Final answer:
The term 'significant others' in sociology refers to key individuals who deeply influence a person's development of self and identity through their attitudes and expectations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term significant others, coined by sociologist George Herbert Mead, refers to those individuals who are the most important in the development of self. These are people whose expectations, viewpoints, and attitudes deeply influence how an individual sees themselves during the socialization process. Altering one's behavior in response to the feedback from significant others helps a person develop a distinct awareness of societal norms and contributes to the formation of self-identity. Mead's concept of the 'significant other' is distinct from Cooley's related concept of 'the looking-glass self' which involves imagining how one appears to others and how one's actions are judged, thus shaping one's self through the perceptions of others.